Mar 21, 2014

A Voice and Style is Silenced

Patrice Sidoione passed away suddenly earlier this week. When Allentown began the property acquisition program several years ago for the arena, the methods were not nice. Straw buyers were sent into the properties, making offers with threats of eminent domain to those who would not cooperate. Although these tactics were ignored by The Morning Call, this blog reported the process, threat by threat. Patrice, who owned a hair salon on 8th Street, keep me updated on this process and invited me, as did other merchants, to attend their meetings with city officials. Although the administration was hoping that the merchants would go quietly, they didn't know Patrice Sidoione. She championed for her rights, and encouraged the other merchants to stand up for theirs. Those who knew her are saddened by her untimely death. An obituary notice appears in today's paper.

3 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I never met Patrice, but I was very saddened to read of her passing. She had the kind of 'citizen spunk' so missing in America today. The expansion of unchecked government control over its people is rarely a good thing. I'm sure Patrice learned this early on, and glad she had the courage to speak out when others would not.